


Third Eye Wide Open

by beautymorenowthandyingswhen



Category: The Umbrella Academy (Comics), The Umbrella Academy (TV)
Genre: F/M, Klaus x Reader, Reader Insert, ghost!Reader, platonic!Ben/reader, reader - Freeform
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-04-01
Updated: 2019-05-06
Packaged: 2019-12-30 07:16:43
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 4
Words: 3,577
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/18310796
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/beautymorenowthandyingswhen/pseuds/beautymorenowthandyingswhen
Summary: Meeting Ben and his Ouija board of a brother, after a year of being alone, was a huge relief. You and the boys quickly become virtually inseparable, you even manage to think about a relationship with Klaus. But you're not telling them everything, and what will they do when they find out the truth about you?





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> Hey all, this will be a multi chaptered fic, we'll see where it goes
> 
> Comments and criticisms always welcome.

 You’d been a ghost for a year, maybe more-it was hard to keep track. Not that you really tried. You were busy. Busy traveling, learning, exploring, all the things you hadn’t done before, but wished you had. It wasn’t quite the same, since you couldn’t exactly interact with the material world. You were working on that, though.

 

   Today, you sat in a park you’d wandered through a few times, but never really took the time to appreciate. Although you couldn’t feel the sun or the breeze, you could pretend, and that was almost enough. Being a ghost did have some perks. Before you had been sick, chronically so, and even a trip to the park was often too much for you. In this form, you didn’t hurt and unlike most spirits, who were tethered to something connected to their death, you were free to wander as you pleased. You liked to think it was because that had been what you’d wished for most often, to be free from your pain and obligations.

 

   But it was lonely. The ghosts you had met were all preoccupied with something. Some of them didn’t even know they were dead. And you sure weren’t going to be the one to tell them. After a lot of practice, you could manage to harass the living that passed you by, if you tried hard enough. It was fun to puff cold air across the back of their necks, or steal a scarf and hide it up a tree.

 

   When you’d wandered into the park, you’d intended to tease some children, if you were lucky they might even see you. But now you found yourself preoccupied with the man sitting on the opposite side of the path, just down from your own bench. He was fairly ordinary, handsome enough, wearing dark clothes and a hood pulled over his head. What interested you was that he was quite clearly dead. More than one passerby had walked right through him, and if his lack of a response was anything to judge by, he either wasn’t aware enough to realize, or had been dead long enough to stop caring.

 

   You’d gathered during your time “observing” him, that he was tailing another man. This one was definitely alive, and if you had to guess, was definitely a tweeker. He couldn’t sit still for the life of him and was dressed like he’d raided a donation bin from 1978. As best you could tell, he didn’t seem to realize that he had a ghostly companion. He hadn’t acknowledged him, anyway.

 

   Making up your mind, you stood. Meandering down the path, you stuck to the edge to avoid having anyone accidentally pass through you. It didn’t hurt, but it definitely wasn’t a pleasant feeling. You flopped onto the bench immediately to the right of where the definitely dead, possibly unaware-of-being-dead, man was sitting. Watching him from the corner of your eye, you eventually turned to fully stare at him.

 

   “Excuse me,” you called softly, hoping not to startle him.

 

   He didn’t bother to look up, making you second guess your assumption that he knew he was dead.

 

   “ExCUSE me!” You tried again, louder than the first time, waving at him to punctuate your words.

 

   At this, the man jumped, turning to blink owlishly at your from beneath his hood. His mouth gaped a bit, moving as though he wanted to speak but didn’t know what to say. Eventually he just pointed at his chest as if you ask, “me?”.

 

   You choked back a laugh, teasing, “No, the other dead fella.”

 

   He stood quickly, “You can see me?” As he asked, glancing back towards the guy he’d been tailing, who was still lounging on the opposite end of the bench, talking to himself and readjusting every five seconds. “Are you-like me?”

 

   “Ghostly?” you asked, eyebrow raised, “Mhm. Name’s Y/N. You?”

 

   He paused, still eyeing you as if he expected you to vanish at any moment, “Ben. I-um-” he spluttered for a moment before trailing off, at a loss for words.

 

   You giggled, “Who’s your friend? Must be important to you, since you’re following him still. Oh wait!” you interrupt yourself, “Let me guess! Hmm…” You turn your eyes back to the addict, realizing now that you were much closer that he was pretty, despite his highly chaotic energy and appearance. A strong jawline, messy hair, gorgeous hazel green eyes. Quite frankly, he was exactly your type. Too bad you were extremely unavailable.

 

   Attention jumping back to the still stunned asian ghost-man, you continued rambling. “Man, I hope he didn’t kill you cause that would be a huge bummer and I’d feel bad that I think he’s hot. Boyfriend, maybe? Or-”

 

   “Brother! He’s my brother!” Ben cut you off before you could say anything else.

 

   You cut your eyes back and forth between the two, taking in their appearances. “Ben, I’m gonna be up front with you, I’m not seeing the resemblance.”

 

   Ben’s face relaxed a bit, a smile quirking his lips, “We were adopted.”

 

   You nodded, “So brotherly love, huh?” you winked teasingly, thoroughly enjoying talking to someone besides yourself. “That’s what’s keeping you here?”

 

   Rolling his eyes, Ben sat next to you on your bench. “To be honest, I think I’m all the common sense he has in the world.”

 

   You burst out laughing, “So the addict has one braincell and it belongs to his dead brother. Rough time for him.” You tilt your head thoughtfully, “rough time for you too.”

 

   Ben grimaced, “If he wasn’t on cloud nine, I could talk to him, but once he gets like this…”

   Cocking your head, you turned to squint at him. “How do you mean, talk to him?”

 

   “Oh...uh,” Ben hesitated, “When he’s sober...he can see me, or us, I guess.”

 

   “He what?” You gaped at him, swiveling back to stare at the fidgety man a few feet away, “You’re fucking with me, right?” 

* * *

 

 

TBC


	2. Chapter 2

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Time flies while you're having good times and bad with Klaus

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm so excited by the positive feedback I've been receiving, it really boosts my inspiration! Thanks you all so much! 
> 
> I'm just ramping up in this story and my intention is for it to be fairly long, I hope you all will enjoy the journey with me!

* * *

 

   You and Ben had followed his brother, who you’d learned was named Klaus, back to where he currently lived, which was the building they had grown up in, the Umbrella Academy. You had a vague memory of when you were a child and they were popular in the news and media, but superheros hadn’t been your thing. Ben gave you a brief explanation and you didn’t pry further, figuring you wouldn’t want a practical stranger hearing about your intimate family trauma.

 

   The most important thing he’d conveyed was that his hot brother could see and speak to the dead, but only when he’s sober, which wasn’t often. And that’s how the pair of you ended up watching cartoons and waiting for Klaus to hit some level of sobriety. Eventually he teetered over when he stood, on his way to scrounge for food, and passed out.

 

   Ben shook his head disapprovingly, “If he doesn’t overdose, he’s going to give himself serious brain damage.”

 

   “Harsh,” you replied, raising an eyebrow in his direction, silently asking for an explanation.

 

   He sighed, “I’ve been watching him poison himself since we were kids. He’s overdosed too many times for me to count. I’m not even sure he can die at this point.”

 

   “That must have been hard for you to watch,” you replied softly.

 

   Ben made a noncommittal noise as an answer, “We’re most likely to get lucky when he wakes up in the morning. That’s when he will be most sober.”

 

   You nodded and as a pair you fell silent, watching Klaus’ chest rise and fall, waiting for him to wake.

  


   A few hours later, as the sun was just breaching the horizon and staining everything pink and gold, Klaus began to stir. He hauled himself off the floor to stumble to the couch.

 

   Ben threw himself over to the couch, shouting “Klaus! C’mon man, wake up!”

 

   Klaus pulled a pillow over his face, batting at the air with his hand, “Go awaaaay, Ben.”

 

   “Not today, we’ve got a guest!” Ben insisted, “Klaus!”

 

   Klaus groaned, lifting the pillow so he could peek at Ben, “I don’t wanna.”

 

   You groaned and jumped forward to push Ben out of the way, “Well tough shit, Sleeping Beauty! We’ve been waiting for hours!”

 

   Shrieking, Klaus shot up, pulling the pillow to cover his bare chest, like a girl who’d lost her top in the pool. “Who the fuck are you?”

 

   “Y/n.”

 

   “Y/n?”

 

   “Yes.”

 

   “It’s too early for this. I’m too sober.” Klaus groaned, leaning back against the couch.

 

   “Not sober enough!” You shot back, crossing your arms over your chest and glowering lightly at him.

 

   He pouted, “what do you waaant?”

 

   You took a step back, blinking, “I-I don’t know. I didn’t expect to get this far.” You met his eyes and found yourselves staring at each other, at a loss for words.

 

   Ben muffled his laughter in the background.

  
  


…

  


   Two months later you had made a habit of haunting Klaus and Ben. You found yourself attached to the brothers, especially Klaus. It was even possible that you had a small crush on the handsome, if wild and erratic, man. Not that you were going to tell him. For someone with such deep insecurities about his self worth, he sure does have a massive ego.

 

   “Y/n!” Klaus hollered from his bath in the next room. “I’m bored, talk to me!”

 

   “Speak of the devil,” you grumbled, “and the devil speaks back.” You wandered to the doorway and poked your head inside, hands splayed dramatically over your eyes. “You called?”

 

   Klaus huffed, splashing the water at you for effect. “What are you? A virgin?- Not that there’s anything wrong with that but like...it would suck if you’d died a virgin.”

 

   You suppressed a laugh but didn’t reply, knowing that if you wait, Klaus will keep digging his own grave. And it’s just so entertaining.

 

   “Way to go, Klaus,” he mumbled, “you made it awkward.” Raising his voice, he called, “Listen, Y/n, I didn’t mean to pry or-or hurt your feelings or some shit. Y’know?”

 

   You smiled reassuringly, “Don’t worry, Klaus. I’m not upset with you.” Pausing, your lips quirk up in a smirk, “and I’m not a virgin, either.”

 

   Klaus spluttered, splashing water across the room as your ghostly body shook with laughter.

 

…

 

   Klaus’ sobriety rose and fell like a wave, surging to a high and then crashing to a low. You tried to keep yourself from being upset with him. He’d suffered so much, all his life, and you couldn’t fault him for wanting to separate himself from that. But it still hurt to watch him poison himself and shut you out in the process. Like tonight.

 

   He was sprawled half on the couch, half off, lost in a fever dream induced by god knows what. Ben had left hours ago, leaving you alone in your vigil observing the drugged man. Klayus groaned, fidgeting in his sleep. He mumbled your name, and Ben’s, a few times, his distress increasing by the minute.

 

   You dropped your face into your hands, wishing he could see you when he was like this, so you could comfort him. Beneath that, you wished he didn’t hurt so bad he felt like this was the only escape. And deeper still, you wished you had a real body and could comfort him.

 

   But for now, you could only watch him cry, and wait for morning to come.

* * *

 

 

TBC


	3. Chapter 3

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm glad people are enjoying this-please leave comments!

Six months after meeting Klaus, you had given up trying to convince yourself that the feelings you had for him were just a harmless crush. You wanted to believe it was nothing, just a little attraction because he was virtually the only man who had paid attention to you in years, and also the only one that really could. This logic was flawed in that Ben also paid attention to you, and you liked Ben well enough, but not the same. You sighed, of all the things you had expected to never experience again to reappear, of course it had to be feelings.

The reason you were drowning in your feelings tonight was that Klaus had wandered home high as a kite and rambled about getting laid. And the logical part of your brain knew better than to take offense to Klaus doing normal human things, especially since he didn’t know how you feel, but your feelings were bruised anyway. It wasn’t the first time, and he’d even brought people home before. But every time it happens, it takes you longer to get over it. 

Which led to right now, where you are tuning out everything Klaus says to you, in favor of torturing yourself mentally. Eventually Klaus’ patience ran out.

“Y/n!” He shouted to get your attention, “what climbed up your ass tonight?”

“Nothing, Klaus, drop it.” You snapped, turning to glare at him.

He crossed his arms childishly, “no, Y/n. You’ve had an attitude all night.”

Snarling, you bit back, “how would you know? You couldn’t see me for the first half.” 

Klaus flinched backwards, “Is that what you’re mad about? My drug habits? I don’t have to justify myself to you.”

“No, Klaus. I know why you do that to yourself that isn’t-”

“Then what, Y/n? Just tell me!”

You jerked your head up to meet his eyes, “I can’t stand watching you whore yourself out for a buck or a quick fuck, Klaus!”

As soon as you spoke you saw his eyes darken with tears and then glaze over while his face went blank, devoid of emotions.

Your ghostly chest stung with regret immediately, “jesus, i didn’t mean that. I’m just, I hate watching you do that.”

Klaus opened his mouth and spoke mechanically, “what do you hate about it, y/n?” His tone sharpened as his volume rose, “what do you want me to do? I’ve been doing what I have to for years. It’s all I know how to do besides be tormented by ghosts day and night.” When you opened your mouth to protest, he slashed his hand in your direction to silence you. “And it’s not like i really have any interest in the people, anyway! But what am I supposed to do when the only person I'm attracted to is dead?” He finished his rant, panting heavily by the time he’d shouted the last few words.

Silence practically echoed in the room while you stared at each other.

Your voice broke, “w-what?’

He stalked over to collapse on the bed behind you, burying his face in his hands. “God, Y/n, I’m sorry, I didn’t mean...ugh.” Klaus groaned, looking up at you with sad, dark eyes. “I just wish you weren’t dead.”

You gaped down at him, “Oh Klaus,” you hesitate, bracing yourself for his reaction, “I’m not dead.”

Klaus squinted, slapping himself dramatically, “Y/n, I know I’ve been doing heavy drugs for most of my life but like…’m pretty sure...you’re a ghost.”

Rolling your eyes, you replied, “I am a ghost.”

“But-”

“But my body is still alive,” you interrupted.

“...your-you-what?” Klaus spluttered, blinking rapidly as he grappled with the information.

You grimaced, breaking eye contact, “It’s complicated.”

“How?” Klaus breathed, “you’re either dead or you’re not, Y/n!”

“I'm-i’m alive. I just haven't lived in my body for a long time, Klaus.”

He fell silent, seemingly pondering your statement, “how?”

You shrug, still refusing to look him in the eye. “I never tried to go back.” Your voice cracked, pleading, “you have to understand Klaus, being alive was never great for me...and at the time my body was teetering on the edge of death so I figured I'd rather explore if I could, than go back and just die.”  
“How do you know you aren’t dead now?” He asked mechanically.

Turning away from him at his cold response, you replied, “I can still feel my connection to my body.”

Silence fell until a harsh breath broke it, “Y/n why didn’t you tell me? Why didn’t you try to go back since then?”

“I-I hadn't really thought about it. I just, I didn’t need to I guess. It didn’t matter until you and you can see me like this, and I just, didn’t want to lose you.” 

Klaus lowered his voice to snarl at you, “you could be whole and I could touch you and you didn’t even consider that I might want that? You didn’t think to ask?” 

Your jaw dropped, “I didn’t-didn’t realize- I didn’t think-”

“Obviously!” He cut you off, “you were too busy keeping your secrets!”

“I’m sorry. Klaus...please listen-”

“No Y/n! Just-get out, I can’t do this right now, just go.” He turned his back on you and stalked away.

You breathed heavily, feeling as though you were going to cry, even though you knew you couldn’t. Murmuring under your breath you swore to yourself, “all right, for you, Klaus. I’ll do it.” You tipped your head back and searched inside yourself for the constant tugging of your body. Grabbing it like a lifeline, which you supposed it technically was, you whispered, “I-I think I love you. I’ll see you around.”

Klaus ran back into the room just in time to make eye contact with you before you disappeared. “Y/n!” 

But you were gone.


	4. Chapter 4

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry for the long wait! Finals and things slaughtered me.

   Your eyes flew open and you shot upright in a sterile white room you’d never seen before. Gasping a bit as you felt air rush through your lungs and gooseflesh erupt across your skin. A weight you hadn’t felt in what seemed like decades blanketed your body. 

   You were alive. 

   Machines around you burst into life as well, alarms blaring. You ripped the cannula delivering oxygen away from your face, throwing it aside. Next you attached the many wires blanketing you. The pressure of being alive, having mass, was making you claustrophobic. Your chest was tight, you couldn’t breathe, and were spiraling into a panic.

   A group of people came barreling into the room, shouting at each other. But you couldn’t hear them over the sound of your own heart pounding in your ears. At this point you were thrashing and lunging out of the bed. Two nurses held you down while a third injected a syringe into your IV. A cold rush raced up your arm and you felt your body relax against your racing mind. Your vision blurred then went black.

   The next time you woke, the sedative was still in your system, keeping you calm. As you adjusted to your surroundings and began planning how you would get back to Klaus, you realized some very important facts. 

  1. You didn’t actually know his address
  2.  You also didn’t know his phone number
  3.  You didn’t know where you were and even if you did you hadn’t told Klaus



You sat up, slower than before, and swung your legs over the side of the bed. As soon as you tried to stand, your knees buckled and you fell to the ground, hitting your head on the way down.

   Two weeks later you were still in the hospital, your routine was physical therapy for hours each day, but it felt like you weren’t progressing at all. You’d had no opportunity to look for information about Klaus. Half your days were spent thinking about him. You needed to get better, and you needed to prove to him that he meant enough to you that you would come back to him.

A week after that, you checked yourself out of the hospital a day earlier than you were supposed to. Your family had arranged to pick you up the next day, but they were all acting so weird already and you’d rather wander the city looking for Klaus than sit in a room with them staring at you like you were a freak.

   I t was slow going, your body tired so quickly, especially compared to when you were a ghost. Nothing you passed looked familiar; you began to wonder if your ghost memories were fading or unreliable. Eventually you slumped onto a bench in front of a bus stop and sighed, brushing your hair out of your face. 

   An older woman shuffled by with her cane and sat at the other side of the bench. She clucked her tongue, “Are you all right, dear?”

   You laugh weakly, “I think I’m a bit lost. Do you have any idea where the nearest park is?” The way you figured, if you could find the park you used to hang out in, you might be able to find Klaus. 

   The woman hummed, “Sure dear! If you walk up this street two blocks, make a left and walk three more, it’ll be there on your right.” 

   Jumping to your feet despite your tired muscles, you shouted thanks over your shoulder and took off the way you’d been directed. Once you made the correct left turn, you energy began to fade again. Your vision slid sideways and you felt yourself stumble against the gate next to you. The iron bars held you up as you sunk to the ground, waiting for the dizziness to pass. 

   Once you could see, you hauled yourself up, using the gate as support. Standing there, you took stock of where you were, not wanting to get lost a second time. Then you glanced at the house behind the gate. A huge stone building towered before you, an extremely familiar one. 

   It was Klaus’ childhood home.

The Umbrella Academy.


End file.
